Messages

Passedit -

Good performance from St Paul's - they seem to lack something though - self belief - don't think they can hold on to a lead? Maybe they will improve on this as the season progresses and they realise they are better than several of the teams in this league.
It is a hard ground to come to - very tight, and maybe a team like Glassdrumman will have underestimated you. They may be used to playing on a bigger pitch and only get to grips with it late on?
All in all if St Paul's keep putting in performances like this they could/should get up to mid table and avoid the dog fight at the bottom.

St Paul's Glassdrumman - DRAW

St Paul's ahead for most of it - G'd equalised late on!!

EDRL A
Carryduff lost to C'wellan
Bredagh w/o Ardglass d/f
Bredagh bt Darragh Cross
Darragh Cross won their 1st game

Is St Pauls' v Glassdrumman tonight in Holywood?

Wobbller - if you'd have taken your medicine last year and gone into Div 4 you'd only have had 4 or 5 away games - Annsborough or Killyleagh would have been the furthest run - maybe that would have suited you better.

Wobbler - you could also put St Pauls into Antrim (and also the Ards teams - so we wouldn't have a hurling team). Then you Newry teams could all play with yourselves! I see you are a Queen fan

Bredagh 3-07 Drumgath 2-10

Bredagh looked dead and buried trailing 1-07 to 0-02 at halftime, but some good switches worked well and they turned in a fine second half display to gain a draw. Some of the old hands had an off day, so it was good to see the local youngsters - Deasley, Tolland, McKenna, Devlin and Hollywood to the fore in the final period.

"Carryduff to go close" - they have hardly been too impressive so far - 1 win,  1 defeat - 3-03 in their win - more like a Camogie score.
Bredagh v Drumgath this Sunday should tell a tale - Drumgath must be favourites - but you never know!

Thanks for all the St Paul's comment - just to put you straight on a couple of things:

1. You don't need to feel sorry for us - we won - with 13 men - that's 2 out of 2 - early days but we're happy enough.

2. I don't condone the boys who got sent off - they were naive, foolish, and yes, a bit unlucky. They could have cost us the game. The ref unfortunately saw us committing misdemeanors and missed a couple of Teconnaght ones - you win some you lose some.

It was an honest report as I saw it - didn't mean to upset you boys from Holywood. We don't mind you - you seem to have a problem with us.

Someone recently compared the 3 N Down teams (C'duff, Bredagh & St Pauls) to Newcastle, Sunderland and Boro. Bredagh & Duff are like Sunderland and Newcastle - no love lost - St Pauls are like Boro - nobody really cares to much!

BREDAGH 1-10 TECONNAGHT 1-07

Two lapses in discipline from Bredagh palyers nearly cost them dear a game they were coasting for much of the match.
Early on Muldoon was red carded for an off the ball incident - he was provoked, but took the bait and Branigan had no option but to send him to the line. Earlier Brian Rice 1-1, McKenna 0-2, E Gormley 0-2 and C Toland 0-1 had all scored to put them into a comfortable 5 point halftime lead.
Second half, and against the wind, Bredagh made light of their lack of numbers and went into a 7 point lead with 10 to go - then the red mist decended again and Robinson got his marching orders from the ref, who in fairness hadn't done enough to protect him on several occasions.
Bredagh held on despite a late 1-1 to record a valuable win. Jody Gormley was man of the match - back in his best position - CHB.

Replys:

Re-burn out - the GAA won't be able to enforce restricting individual county training becuase Mr Conway and his mates in Club Tyrone would crack up if the county was being dictated to by Croke Park - in their pursuit of an AI

Re-Lecale2 - different man

Re-Irish League - you can quote soccer when it suits your argument - when it doesn't then its irrelevant! Be consistent

Payment to managers and trainers is not irrevelent - its been going on for years, everybody knows about it, a lot of those at the Elk are in clubs that condone it and brush it under the table, and if one set of participants are getting paid (and always will) why souldn't the players get looked after?

I agree with my fellow Countyman RedBlack and others pro the grants for the following reasons:
1. The genie is out of the bottle regarding payments and we can't turn the clock back. I know of a Connaght county manager 4-6 yrs ago who was on €70,000, an Ulster county trainer who was on £30,000 3-4 yrs ago, a Down Jnr club mgr who gets £250.00/week. Where were the meetings in the Elk and the massive outcry over the last 10yrs? Its easy to attack the players - but not the older influential ex-AI winners/admin men/businessmen etc. Rules will always be bent in the pursuit of success
2. I know an Irish League player - top 4 team. He trains twice a week, plays on a Sat. He can eat and drink what he likes. Our countymen get dropped from the squad if they are seen in the pub. For 6-8 months othe year they are on eating plans, weights etc etc. They train as hard as professional palyers in England - yet they aren't shown enough appreciation in my view.
3. Rugby has had a problem with professionalism regarding the effect on clubs. But i's not a fair analogy. Gaelic games are rooted in the parish clubs, there aren't generally transfers, they aren't going to be na influx of French/English/Argentinian players. Gaelic games will survive.
4. They waved a tenner about in theElk - " grant is the same as pay for play". What about University bursaries then? I presume Conway and his mates will be calling for them to be scrapped too - or maybe they is a get out clause here?
5. Some posters tell the GAA to restrict County training nights so that players aren't burnt out etc. Get real it won't happen!

Look after the players - I don't go to watch the man who cuts the grass, wash the kit (which I do), sell ballots or write referees reports

I don't think the League or Chamionship structure is the problem. The structure hasn't been to blame for our horrendous county championship form over the last few years, nor has it caused our club representatives to flop in the Ulster club championship.
We are years behind the other Ulster counties when it comes to developments squads, coaching, fitness, training methods, facilities etc etc. Look at OwenBeg, Cookstown etc. Look at the workshops being held all over Ulster (seldom in Down). Look at the attendance at these workshops - usually Tyrone, Derry, Armagh etc.
The Co Board needs to get its act together - and fast, otherwise we have another 10 years in the wilderness ahead of us.
We will always produce good players, some school teams will do well and if they get a good crop the Minors might as well - but the last 2 years Minor performances say more about us then '05 I'm afraid.

Well done to the hurlers and Ian Galway for his MoM performance.
That's JHC and Div 2 for the hurlers, EDRFL and the Div 3 play-offs to come for the Snr footballers. Not bad for a wee City club!!!
Any word of venues for the play-offs yet?

[Bredagh Win EDRL]

Bredagh Win EDRLBredagh won the East Down Reserve League with a 5-15 to 1-08 victory over Liatroim clinching the title from St Pauls & Bryansford. Excellent season for the boys, the seniors in the play-offs and plenty of young talent coming through.

Carryduff deserved the win (3-09 2-06 was the correct score) - Rory Gardiner (son of Bredagh legend and Down midfielder Bill) ran the show. Without Jody Gormley the Bredagh backline always looked vulnerable.
On the positive side Bredagh finished with 4 minors and one u-19 on the pitch - they all played well and right to the end.
The Duff look doomed to Div 3 - maybe we'll avoid them if we get up - if not, the prospect of a couple of tasty derby's next year would be good.